Data Center REIT Stocks to Own in September 2026: 3 Names
This three-stock countdown covers a global wholesale operator, an unconventional outlier, and the AI-infrastructure demand shaping data-center real estate.
Data center REITs remain one of the clearest ways to access the AI infrastructure buildout, but the investment case has become more demanding. Hyperscaler expansion and enterprise AI continue to support long-term capacity demand, while 5G, edge traffic and cloud migration add to the need for reliable digital infrastructure. The key question is no longer simply how much data-center space operators can add. Investors increasingly need to assess whether companies can secure power, obtain permits and turn available capacity into durable cash flow.
The theme spans several business models. Wholesale operators provide large-scale campuses and powered buildings for hyperscalers, while retail colocation and interconnection hubs benefit from dense ecosystems of networks, enterprises and cloud providers. A third category consists of powered land and development pipelines that may be monetized as utilities and permitting catch up with demand. Digital Realty’s July 23, 2026 second-quarter update, which highlighted continued core FFO growth, underscored the durability of leasing demand even as regional power bottlenecks complicate new supply.
This three-stock countdown moves from the weakest thematic fit at #3 to the strongest candidate at #1. The ranking emphasizes depth of direct exposure to data-center real estate first, then weighs business fundamentals, growth, profitability, valuation and recent earnings execution. That approach matters in September 2026 because strong secular demand does not automatically make every infrastructure-adjacent company a data center investment.
Our filter focused on US-listed companies with market capitalizations above $500 million and then assessed how directly each business participates in the data center REIT theme. Direct ownership or operation of data-center properties received priority over indirect technology or infrastructure links. Fundamentals, including margins, growth, valuation, analyst consensus and earnings performance, helped separate companies within the theme. This is a countdown, so the best pick is reserved for #1 at the end; the list is intended as a focused research starting point rather than a complete investment decision.
